Some Kind of Genius
by xJadzia-Daxx
Summary: Bucky's worries about Tony as soon as he lays eyes on him, the kid has been moved up four grades because he's so smart, leaving him vulnerable to the many assholes who seem to live to pick on helpless people. When Tony is 'outed' at a party, Bucky and his friends step in to protect him.
1. Chapter 1

Part 1 – A Night to Remember

Bucky glared around the room as he sipped his beer; trying to make it as obvious as possible that he was completely unhappy, and therefore unapproachable. Especially to the few girls who were eyeing him off; apparently the lack of a left arm didn't disgust them too much.

Steve was in the corner of the room cosied up to Natasha Romanov, he'd been working up the courage to ask her out for weeks, and tonight he was finally going to do it. Well, that's what he said anyway; Bucky doubted Steve would ever get the nerve to ask out any girl. But Steve insisted, tonight was the night, and he was totally going to ask her to the movies.

That was all well and good, but what Bucky didn't understand was, _why did he have to be here?_ Steve could have asked Sam, or Thor, or literally anyone who enjoyed going to parties (an enjoyment Bucky, unfortunately, did not share.)

Worst of all this party was being hosted by Gil Hodge and his friends, in other words – complete and utter assholes. They were notorious pranksters, but not in the friendly way like Clint Barton, no, these guys liked to play cruel jokes on helpless people. They were the kind of people who thought it was funny to dump people in garbage, and leave them death threats over Facebook. They were also the kind who thought it was funny to steal him prosthetic arm whenever he took it off to shower after gym class.

Before the loss of his arm, Bucky had been on the football team with them, he hated them then too. Several times, when Steve had suggested that he re-join the football team, he'd refused, simply because he couldn't handle them and their comments, even if his metal arm did function well enough for him to play.

Tonight, Gil Hodge had his arm wrapped around a young boy. Bucky recognised him, the new kid, son of Howard Stark, from Stark Industries, the company that made his prosthetic arm. Tony Stark was some kind of genius, had skipped ahead four whole grades, making him the only fourteen-year-old among a bunch of eighteen-year-old's. It didn't sit well with Bucky that he was here at all, let alone curled up to Gil Hodge. _And_ he was drinking to boot, chugging down whatever vial concoction Hodge was passing to him. None of it was right. Bucky made sure to watch them closely.

Tony was tall, for his age, and lanky, not yet having filled out in all the places his new peers had. Bucky guessed he would be fast, probably a good tennis player if he tried. He had short brown hair, the ends of which were daring to be almost a curl; and big brown eyes, that Bucky couldn't help but associate with Bambi. He was cute, borderline attractive, but Bucky wasn't willing to admit attraction to a fourteen-year-old boy, people already thought he was weird.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone approaching him, a nervous looking guy with fluffy brown hair and large thick-rimmed glasses. "Hey, I'm Bruce," he said, handing Bucky another beer, "you look like you want to be here about as much as I do."

Bucky accepted the beer, setting aside the one that had grown warm in his hand. "I'm Bucky Barnes."

Bruce nodded, "Yeah, Steve's friend. I, uh, know Natasha." Bucky watched as his eyes flickered over to where she was standing with Steve, he almost looked jealous, but more… sad, than anything else. He glanced back to Bucky, then over to where Tony and Hodge were standing. "That kid over there, I saw you looking, I'm worried about him and I suppose you are too."

Bucky was relieved to know he wasn't the only one. "Yeah, Hodge is an asshole, and I know Stark is only fourteen."

"Smartest fourteen-year-old I've ever met. He's in all my science classes, dominating every one of us. But he's still naïve, and he has any survival instinct whatsoever. I think Hodge might have something planned…" Bruce muttered, voice bouncing between frustration and anger. Bucky wasn't sure whether to try and calm him down, or get just as angry.

"I was thinking that too, but I don't know what to do about it," Bucky sighed.

Before Bruce could respond, Steve and Natasha barged into their little standing space.

"Bruce!" Natasha exclaimed, "Where did you run off to? I didn't drag you to this party so you could make _other_ friends."

The anger from Bruce's face dissipated as soon as he looked at her, he even chuckled in response. "Maybe I was having fun, have you ever thought of that?" he said with a snicker, suggesting a secret joke between them.

Natasha smiled, her eyes glinting. Bucky looked between the two of them and realised that Steve's pursual of Natasha was completely hopeless. Steve must have realised this too, because his face had twisted into a pout that he was hiding behind his beer. For whatever reason, girls just didn't go for Steve – not even after his growth spurt, which had left him as a tall, muscular god, with a gleaming smile.

"We think Hodge is planning to play one of his awful tricks on that new kid from our gym class," Bucky told Steve, partially trying to distract him, but also still very concerned.

"Yeah," Bruce reiterated to Natasha, scowling again, "Last time I checked, he wasn't interested in hanging out with some geeky kid. So, what's he doing cuddling up to a boy like that?"

Natasha glanced over, "We should go say something," she decided instantly, "and get the poor guy outta there."

Before they could do anything, however, Gil stood up laughing violently at something Tony had said. He clapped his hands in order to get the room's attention, "Heeeeeey!" he drawled, turning around and laughing to his friends as if he'd made some hilarious joke. "Listen folks, we've got some kid here," he lifted Tony into a standing position beside him, "and he has something to say."

Tony was so nervous he was visibly shaking, he looked confused, and quickly shook his head at Hodge.

"C'mon now, Stark." Hodge laughed, "This kid was just telling me how he's never ever been kissed." There was a chuckle throughout the room, Tony was blushing furiously, silently shaking his head at Hodge to stop. "But he doesn't want his first kiss to be a _girl_ ," Hodge grinned, "he wants his first kiss to be _me!_ "

The room erupted into a cruel laughter, Tony's face dropped in mortification, and he tried to pull away, but Hodge was holding him by the arm.

"Like he thinks I'm some faggot," Hodge growled, gripping Tony more tightly.

Next he knew, Bruce had crossed the room and was between them, pushing Hodge away and throwing his beer onto the floor. Natasha was at his heels, swearing at Hodge in some language Bucky didn't recognise. Steve and Bucky followed, watching as Hodge backed away from Natasha carefully, she had an arm raised ready to hit him. Hodge's friends kept their distance too, some worried about hitting a girl, others worried about being hit _by_ a girl.

Tony was frozen in place, tears welling in his eyes. Bucky reached out and pulled him close, forgetting if only for a moment, that his metal arm would feel strange and gross to someone else. Tony blinked up at him, big brown eyes studying the arm carefully. He didn't look freaked out, but Bucky chalked that up to being shocked about what Hodge had said.

"Will someone get this crazy bitch off me?" Hodge demanded, while Natasha had him in a death grip. Bruce hit him in the throat sending him backwards, he looked like he wanted to do more, but Natasha had let Hodge go and was looking at Bruce intently, warning him to stop.

Bucky put his real arm around Tony's shoulder, "Want me to take you home?"

The boy nodded vigorously, almost hiding in Bucky's jacket, away from the stares that they were attracting. Hodge was swearing at them to leave anyway, and Bucky was well and truly done with this party.

"I'm gonna take him home, think you can catch a ride home with Nat?" Bucky asked Steve.

Steve nodded, trailing along behind Natasha and Bruce. Bucky guided Tony, who was still trembling beneath him, to his car. It was a lucky thing he hadn't had too much to drink, or he wouldn't be able to take him home.

Bucky pulled out of the driveway and onto the pitch-black road. He wasn't supposed to be driving. He needed a special kind of licence to drive with one arm, and you couldn't get one of those until you'd been wearing a prosthetic for some time, Bucky had only had his six months. But he couldn't help it, those rules were stupid, and he liked driving. He was good at it, always been careful, never distracted, he knew exactly how to move in a car, it came as naturally as walking for him.

He waited until they were a few miles down the road, and far away from the party, before he talked to Tony. "So, er, where do you live?"

Tony looked over to him miserably, "I'm meant to be at a sleepover. You can't take me home; my dad can't find out about this. He would be so _embarrassed_ …"

"Oh-"

"Please, take me to a hotel, whichever is closest. I have money," Tony told him.

Bucky what appalled, "What? No, no way!" he insisted, "I can't leave you at a hotel, that's crazy. Anything could happen to you, you're drunk, and upset."

"I'll be fine. I can get a taxi in the morning to take me home. Dad will be at work, and it'll be a Saturday, I can-"

"No, you're coming home with me," Bucky insisted, "and I'll take you home tomorrow. Okay?"

Tony crossed his arms stubbornly, "Why are you even helping me? I mean, you know, _everyone knows_ , that I-I'm…"

"Gay?"

"Are you trying to make fun of me?" Tony growled, in distress.

"What? No, Tony, I'm gay," Bucky told him, "okay? So I didn't want you to have to face all that."

Tony stared at him for a minute, before muttering, "… Thanks."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2 – Buckaroo Barnes

Tony opened his eyes slowly, groaning at the pounding headache he'd developed overnight. He felt sick to his stomach, and remembered the constant supply of fruity alcohol he had access to. Beside him, Bucky was snoring softly, and Tony was vaguely alarmed to find that they had shared a bed. However, they were both still fully clothed, so it was likely Bucky just slept next to him out of convenience.

Tony sat up slowly, trying not to accidently make himself vomit or something. He checked to see if he'd disturbed Bucky, but the older boy was dead to the world. Tony took the opportunity to gently roll up his sleeve and get a look at him prosthetic arm. It was Stark technology, the good stuff, must have been expensive for him. But Bucky seemed very poor, on account of his clothes, his car, and what Tony remembered about the apartment from drunkenly stumbling into it, so maybe he had it donated or something?

Bucky was quite handsome, rugged and charming. Not like Steve Rogers, who was completely perfect from top to bottom, but incredibly boring. Bucky had looks, charm, the perfect amount of angst, and a killer leather jacket. Tony had learned a lot about him since the first day they met in gym class. Well, they didn't exactly 'meet' per se, but Tony had accidently collided with him trying to avoid getting hit in the face with a ball. Bucky had only good-heartedly, his blue eyes shining bright, and asked if he was okay.

So, Tony decided that maybe some stalking was in order. James Buchanan Barnes, best friend to Steve Rogers, but otherwise unpopular, ex-football player, high grades in all his classes, and the victim of a terrible train accident less than nine months ago, which claimed his left arm. It never occurred to Tony at the time to look up who replaced the arm, but seeing it was Stark Industries he could easily access the file.

His thoughts interrupted by a quiet knock coming from the other side of the bedroom door. Tony froze, staring wide-eyed, terrified of who was on the other side. He couldn't remember anyone else when he and Bucky came in last night, but he couldn't remember much about coming in at all.

"Bucky," a female voice called, "are you awake, dear?"

"Bucky!" squawked a much younger sounding female voice, "Get up! Get up!"

Tony held him breath as the door opened, cowering into Bucky's side. A young girl sprinted towards the bed. She wore a pretty white dress and had dark curly hair. Following behind her was a middle-aged woman Tony guessed was Bucky's mother.

"O-Oh," the woman blushed, "I'm sorry, I had no idea Bucky had a… friend stay over."

Tony couldn't find the words to respond, embarrassment spreading through his body like wild fire.

"Bucky!" the girl squealed, stirring him awake.

Bucky groaned, rolling into him and pressing his face against Tony's neck, "Becca, shut the fuck up," he mumbled lazily. His mother gave an embarrassed chuckle, watching sleepy Bucky cuddle the smaller boy. Tony gently shook him to wake him up.

The girl jumped on the bed and promptly smacked Bucky's face, "Who's in your bed, Buck?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

This seemed to grab Bucky's attention, and he pushed himself away from Tony, realising the position they'd been in, "Mum!" he gasped, "Rebecca! Oh my god, get out!"

His mother smiled in amusement, "Okay Buckaroo, just wanted to let you know breakfast is downstairs, and Rebecca and I are going shopping. You and your _friend_ are welcome to come if you like."

"Who's in your bed, Buck-ey?" the girl demanded again, "Who's that boy? Are you gonna smooch him?"

Clearly embarrassed, Bucky hid his face in his hands, and Tony lay beside him awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"Come on now, Rebecca, leave your brother alone," Bucky's mother instructed firmly.

Rebecca gave Tony one long considering look, "You're very pretty," she decided, "I bet Bucky did smooch you." With that, she jumped off the bed and followed her mother out of the room.

The moment they were out of the room, Bucky started apologising. For sleeping in the same bed with him, for snoring, for his family, especially his family. Tony just smiled at him because he looked so embarrassed, it was kinda cute. He was glad not to be the only one embarrassed by the situation.

"It's okay," he assured Bucky softly, "really, they seemed… nice."

Bucky smiled at that, his eyes lighting up with affection for his family. "They're great, if not embarrassing. Well, er, do you want some breakfast before I take you home? I bet you feel real terrible right now, and I promise it will help."

Tony nodded enthusiastically, following Bucky and the smell of bacon downstairs.

 **oOoOoOoOo**

Tony was nervous walking into school Monday morning. Bucky had promised to meet him at his locker, but Tony wasn't entirely convinced he would show up. Sure, Bucky and his friends were really nice to him, but he was still four years younger and probably a lot more immature.

He'd been coming to SHIELD High School for little more than two weeks, and the only person who he had any kind of prolonged conversations with were his teachers and Gil Hodge. His teachers were all wildly impressed by his skill, which pleased him, but they weren't exactly people he could pursue as friends. And Gil Hodge was only interested in humiliating him. Everyone else was perfectly nice, but no one had seemed interested in hanging out with him outside of the classroom. He didn't blame them, not really.

At his last school, he had Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy. But now he lived half a country away, because his father deemed that New York City life wasn't good for him, and he needed to dedicate more time to his study. So, he was sent to live in the in the middle of nowhere, while his mother and friends stayed in New York. He had to live alone with Howard. Well, not exactly alone, Howard had taken Jarvis with them. And, even though Tony adored Jarvis, it wasn't nearly enough.

"Hey Tony." Bucky said with a grin, bumping his shoulder, "how was your weekend?"

Tony felt relieved with his presence, Bucky looked particularly happy today, his whole aura was warm and welcoming. It was the first time Tony had seen him in a short sleeve T-shirt, his metal arm out in the open, some people were staring, but Bucky pretended not to notice.

"It was good. Dad was working all night, I don't think he even noticed I got drunk. And my friend Rhodey called yesterday." He cut him off from saying anything more, realising that Bucky probably didn't care, and was only asking out of politeness, "How was yours?"

"Mine was… well, I can now say that I've seen all three Little Mermaid movies for the hundredth time, I think that pretty much sums it up."

Tony laughed, "And here I was thinking there was only the one. Was this Rebecca's doing?"

Bucky shrugged, "They're better than most Disney sequels, so that's a plus. And yeah, Becca is a demanding little bitch, that girl is gonna be scary when she grows up."

The shrill school bell ran, interrupting their conversation and signalling they go to class. Tony had Advanced Physics, a class he was already excelling at, and one of his favourites. But he was reluctant to leave Bucky.

"Well, I guess we should head to class. Hey, if you like, we normally hang out in the art building during breaks – you should join us. It's such a nice day, we might even go outside, for once." Bucky said enthusiastically.

Tony paused, unsure, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they all feel really sorry about what happened at the party."

"I don't need pity friends," Tony frowned.

"We won't be," Bucky said sincerely, "and Bruce really wants to be friends with you too, he thinks you're a genius."

Tony perked up at that, "Bruce Banner? Bruce Banner wants to be friends with me?"

For a second, Bucky almost looked… jealous, but he quickly shook it off. "Yeah, I think he's into all that nerdy science stuff, and I mean, he was the first one to jump to your defence the other night…" Something about the way Bucky spoke was strange, but he was clearly not wanting to deter Tony from hanging out with them.

Tony seemed to mull over the information in his mind, "…Okay," he decided, "I guess that would be, er, nice. Thanks, Bucky."


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3 – Making Friends

Tony felt weird waiting for Bucky by his locker. If Bucky forgot about him, he could be waiting there all recess, like a loser. So, he kept it open and pretended to be looking for something, occasionally taking a sip from his drink bottle, while keeping an eye out for Bucky.

"Hey, Stark-"

That was definitely _not_ Bucky's voice.

Someone gripped Tony's shoulder tightly and spun him around. The snarling face of Gil Hodge met him. Tony noticed that he had a split lip, and a large swollen bruise on his jaw, Bruce Banner must have hit pretty hard. And more than once? Tony could only remember one hit, but Hodge's face suggested otherwise.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he growled, nostrils flaring in anger.

Tony gulped, quickly remind himself that _when in doubt; use sarcasm_. "Problem?" he mimicked, flashing a fake, hopefully not nervous-looking, grin. "I didn't know we had a problem, thought you were gonna be my first kiss," he gave a sly wink, for affect.

Hodge's grip tightened, and he managed to look even more pissed-off, his face grew red with anger as he muttered, "You cocky little shit. Wait 'til I take that smile off your face!"

"Oh snuggle-bun, don't be like that," Tony teased further, because really; how much worse could he make it? "We can work this out, you're so sweet to me when you're drunk."

Hodge raised a fist ready to hit him, Tony was about ready to duck, when, luckily, Hodge was pulled back from him. Tony looked up to see the familiar face of Bruce Banner – coming to his rescue for the second time. Hodge briefly tried to wrestle him away, but Bruce's small frame was immensely deceiving, because he easily twisted Hodge's arm around his back.

"What part of _leave Stark alone_ did you not understand!?" he asked in a growl.

Hodge whimpered in pain, managing to throw a glare at Tony. "Fuck you," he snarled back at Banner, "get off me!"

Bruce truly looked ready to hurt him, his body tightened completely in anger. Natasha came up behind him and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. Bruce visibly took a deep breath before shoving Hodge onto the ground. The boy grunted in pain, but quickly got up and stormed away, without looking behind him.

Natasha squeezed his shoulder gently, and muttered something comforting; before turning her attention back to Tony. "You don't have much in the way of survival instincts," she chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "most people don't rile up their tormenters."

"He was gonna hit me anyway," Tony shrugged, "thought I may as well screw with him."

Natasha looked impressed. Bruce looked concerned. "Well, I guess I'll be stepping in between you and those you piss off for some time. It's no different with Natasha."

"Hey! Have you ever had to fight anyone for me?" Natasha argued, "I'm very capable of fighting for myself."

"So am I," Tony insisted, "I can fight perfectly fine, as long as they are my size. It's not fair that everyone is so much older than me."

Natasha crossed her arms, "It's not fair that you're a super-genius. Now c'mon, the rest are waiting. I haven't even eaten yet, I bet Barton's stolen all my food again."

"You can have mine," Bruce offered quietly.

Natasha just smiled at him.

The pair led him out into the courtyard and around the bike shed. Natasha chatted to him idly, about Barky Barnes, Steve Rogers, and a few other names he didn't recognise. Bruce didn't say much, and Tony could tell he was keeping an eye out for Gil Hodge or his cronies.

Hidden comfortably under a thick willow tree, Tony spotted Bucky and Steve wrestling over the contents of a lunch box. Bucky was grinning with success, munching down a muesli bar. He waved Tony over, ignoring Steve trying to grab the food back.

"Hey," he grinned, "I sent Banner and Nat after you, I hope that's okay."

Tony took a seat on the grass next him, pinching the other half of the muesli bar from his hand, "It was very… helpful. Bruce had a few careful words with Hodge."

The smile dropped from Bucky's face, "He was giving you a hard time?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Tony assured him. Bruce made a noise of disagreement.

"Well you're with us now," Steve intercepted, encouraging Bucky to drop the subject, "and just so you know _us_ counts for these people over here," he gestured to the other few stragglers littered across the grass.

"Meet, Sam Wilson," Steve pointed to a young black man, who eyed Tony with amusement.

"Oh look," he grinned, "Buck got a boyfriend."

"At least I don't make out with birds," Bucky countered, picking up the nearest pebble and throwing it at him.

Sam scowled, "That was one time!"

Steve ignored them, instead pointing to a couple who seemed too interested face-sucking to notice what was going on, "That's Thor and Jane. They're busy right now, but when they're not trying to make a baby they're really friendly." Tony recognised Jane from his science classes, she paused from shoving her tongue into her boyfriend's throat long enough to give him a friendly wave, before resuming.

"And that's Clint Barton," he said, pointing to the cocky blonde-headed guy, who was arguing about something with Natasha. Bruce was watching them with amusement. "He's the worst," Steve added dramatically.

"Yeah, yeah," Bucky shrugged, "let's agree to disagree on that one, because I say bird-lover over here is the worst."

"At least I have both my arms," Sam said indignantly.

Tony was shocked for a moment at his words, and he wondered if Bucky was offended. But nobody made comment on it, and Bucky laughed, "At least I didn't _make out with a bird_."

"You already said that!"

"I feel like that doesn't come up often enough."

"We once saw Sam let his pet falcon eat from his mouth," Steve explained to Tony.

Tony frowned, "Don't falcons eat… other birds?"

"They also eat KFC out of Sam's mouth," Bucky laughed.

Steve shook his head at them, turning his attention back to Tony. Tony recognised the look as protective-best-friend, something he'd seen on Rhodey's face many times over. Tony tried not to be intimidated by the older man's suspicious glare.

"So… Stark. As in Stark Industries?"

"Yeah…"

"As in the people who made Bucky's arm?"

"Yeah, well, there's a chance I could have even worked on Bucky's arms," he said half-jokingly.

Bucky chimed in, "Really?" he seemed genuinely, pleasantly surprised.

"Do you work on a lot of metal limbs?" Steve asked, eyes somewhat hopeful.

"Yeah, well my dad has a whole range now, and I'm always in the workshop. I mean, I was always in the work shop, back in New York. To be honest, mostly we do metal hips."

"You don't mind my arm?" Bucky asked quietly, he seemed nervous. It suddenly clicked in Tony's head that Bucky's disability might be an issue for newcomers.

"Of course not. Hell, I probably know more about it than you do," Tony smiled at him sincerely.

Bucky grinned at him, briefly letting the metal of his arm touch Tony's side. "Well awesome, if anything goes wrong, I'll bring it straight to you."

Steve gave them both a knowing smile, but said nothing. Tony wondered if he was thinking about the fact that both he and Bucky were gay, if maybe the protective-best-friend look had something to do with Steve considering Tony a potential romantic partner for Bucky.

That excited him a little, Bucky was undeniably attractive, especially with his rebel-without-a-cause look, sultry eyes, and sexy long hair. But he was also being incredibly nice, especially to Tony for no obvious reason. Unless the reason was Bucky being interested in him, which was unlikely, but a fantasy that Tony was happy to let himself indulge in.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4 – Therapy & Kisses

Two weeks go by quickly, Tony slots into their little social circle with ease, and finds his place with Bucky, Bruce and Jane. Bruce and Jane share all his science classes, and finding friends who actually knew what he was talking about, was beyond amazing. Rhodey had never been interested, nor had Pepper, and Happy, god bless him, was a fucking idiot. But Bruce and Jane could delve in complex scientific discussions, Bruce wanted to study nuclear-physics, and Jane astrophysics – Tony is immensely interested in both, and took the opportunity to discuss them at length with his new friends, although he knew that Howard would make him go into engineering and business when he got to college.

Tony found that Bucky was quite intelligent also, but in more of a general sense, he was full of potential both mentally and physically, with no idea what he wanted to do with his life. At least Tony had a plan, even if it was just Howard's plan, but Bucky was just aimless.

Tony had gotten to know Bucky's family well, too. His mother, Wini, was delightful, and very enthusiastic about having Tony around. Tony really admired her, she managed to cope through her husband's death and raise Rebecca, while working a full-time job and keep her family from the edge of poverty. She reminded Tony of his mother Maria, both of them strong-willed and loving. Whenever Tony spent time with Wini, the fact that his mother was thousands of miles away in New York was a little easier to handle. And Rebecca was the only child Tony could stand, at a mere six years old she was able to manipulate everyone around her into doing her bidding (except Wini, of course) and she had a firmer grasp on sarcasm, the likes of which Tony hadn't seen on anyone, let alone a little girl.

Howard didn't say anything about Tony spending all his time at Bucky's, he was never around to say anything – he spent all his time in New York for business, and always took Jarvis with him. And as much as Tony liked his father being gone, he hated being alone. Bucky hated him staying on his own too.

They were at the dinner table, eating Wini's special stew, listening to Rebecca talk about all the different kinds of Pokémon, when Tony noticed that Bucky was in pain. He winced as he moved the salt across the table with his prosthetic arm. Tony wanted his ask if he was okay, but his family hadn't noticed, and Bucky wasn't one to mention it.

After dinner, Tony followed Bucky upstairs, they were in the habit of playing video games for hours, while Wini assumed they were doing homework.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, as soon as the door was safely shut behind them.

"Nothing," Bucky said flippantly, "I'm fine."

Tony crossed his arms and shook his head, "You're in pain," he insisted, "I saw you. Let me look at your arm."

"No, Tony, it's nothing really. Just a twitch, it hardly even hurts, I swear," he said quickly, trying to drop the issue, by sitting down, and finding his way to the controller. Yet, he betrayed himself a second time, as he flinched at the sharp pain shooting up his arm.

Tony was at his side in seconds, "You're so full of it," he accused. "Take off your shirt, and give me a look."

"You just want to get me undressed," Bucky grinned slyly.

Tony's cheeks reddened. "You can't flirt your way out of this one," he said sternly.

Bucky sighed, giving in, he slowly rolled up his shirt, give Tony a fine view of his muscled torso. Tony tried not to stare too obviously, fighting back the urge to run his hands across Bucky's abdomen.

With his shirt off, Tony noticed that there was a great amount of scarring where Bucky's metal arm was attached. He gritted his teeth, hoping the scarring was from the accident, rather than some incompetent doctor butchering the surgery. Bucky's shoulder muscles were strained tightly, and Tony could tell Bucky hadn't been doing any kind of physical therapy.

Bucky shifted uncomfortably as Tony moved behind him, but the younger boy quickly eased his worries, with a small, light touch on his aching neck. "You haven't been exercising it," Tony accused softly, keeping his tone light and friendly. He pressed his hand a little more firmly, and began to massage Bucky's neck and shoulder.

"Oh," Bucky gasped, not expecting the sharp pain to turn to pleasure so quickly.

For a moment, Tony wasn't sure if he hurt him, but he didn't stop to ask. If Bucky wanted him to stope he would say so. "If you don't participate in every step of the recovery, you'll only be doing more damage to your body," Tony lectured idly, "you need to constantly relax your shoulder muscles, or they'll become useless."

Bucky ignored his words, but payed close attention to the short burst of pleasure and relief that came with Tony's slender hands working his body.

However, Tony wasn't making all the pain go away. The pain came from his arm… not his actual arm, per se, but the nerve endings that had been integrated into the upper mechanical part of his arm, the part he wasn't able to remove. Tony seemed to realise this, because, while one hand was rubbing Bucky's neck firmly, the other was using a screwdriver to unhook his arm.

"Is that okay?" Tony asked.

"It's fine, doll."

"Oh, it's 'doll' now, is it?" Tony chuckled, removing Bucky's arm completely. He could tell that Bucky felt uncomfortable with the removal of his arm, but, again, he didn't say anything. Carefully, Tony placed the arm on the bed, and focused on the stump left behind. Bucky's shoulder was permanently infused with metal, designed so Bucky could unlatch his prosthetic from it without irritating his actual flesh.

Bucky gave him a worried look, "I'm sorry if it grosses you out- it's… I should see someone else."

"It doesn't gross me out, Buck," Tony insisted, "you don't need to worry about that with me, not ever. C'mon now, I want to try an exercise with you, are you up for that?"

For a moment, Bucky was reluctant, but Tony seemed to know what he was doing well enough. "Yeah, okay. What did you have in mind?"

"Okay, um, I need you to like clench your left fist for me, can you do that?"

Bucky couldn't help but look at him like he was an idiot. "You're kidding, right?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but even though your arm isn't there anymore, a lot of your nerves still are; so, your brain still thinks your arm in there. Just close your eyes, and clench your left fist and right as hard as you can. It's probably going to hurt."

"Okay…" Bucky closed his eyes.

Tony saw him flinch with pain, and knew that the nerves must have flared up. His flesh hand was also clenched into a fist. "That's it," he encouraged gently. "Now hold that while I count backwards from ten, okay?

Bucky nodded, gritting his teeth.

"Ten… nine, eight, seven – that's it Bucky, keep going – five, four… three, two, one. Now release…"

Bucky's eyes flew open and he stared at Tony in shock. The release rippled through him, the sharp pain that had been pulsating in his arm dissipated, and was left feeling relaxed. He made a pleased sound in the back of his throat, "T-Tony! Holy shit, that… I didn't know that could even happen!"

Tony was surprised, "Really? I thought this was pretty basic, didn't your physical therapist ever do this with you?"

Bucky shook his head, "We couldn't afford one. The arm came with the help of a charity, but with the medical bills…"

Tony dropped the subject, he knew Bucky could get uncomfortable about money sometimes. "Well, that's a really good one to try. Sometimes your nerves will clench up on their own, but you can make them relax just like every other part of your body."

"How do you know about this, doll?" Bucky asked curiously.

"You remember me mentioning Rhodey?" Tony asked.

Bucky nodded, "You mean your Best Friend Forever™? You only mention him every day."

Tony rolled his eyes, " _Well_ , he was injured about a year ago, testing out some new tech for Howard. He had nerve damage in both his legs, and lower back. I helped him through his recovery."

Bucky smiled at Tony, feeling a spark of intimacy between them. "You really miss him, don't you?"

"I really miss all of them. It's okay though… I have you."

Tony was staring at Bucky's lips, and the older boy had to desperately fight back the urge to lean in and kiss him. He knew that Tony's lips would be soft and gentle against his own, but he couldn't. Tony was so young, it wasn't Bucky's place to pursue him.

Fortunately, Bucky wasn't forced to make that decision, as Tony closed the gap between them, pressing his lips firmly against Bucky's.

He pulled back quickly, blushing heavily. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… um, I-I should go."

He moved to get up, but Bucky stopped him. "No, Tony, come here," Bucky said gently, pulling him back.

Bucky kissed him gently, waiting patiently for Tony to respond. In took a moment for Tony's brain to start working again, but when it did, he had his arms thrown around Bucky's neck and was kissing him back passionately.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5 – "We Need to Talk"

Bucky bit his lip in an effort to keep quiet. Rebecca was somewhere in the house, and she had absolutely no idea about personal space, she often came barging into his room no matter what. Several times it had happened while he was undressed. Those times were not even remotely fine, but that was nothing compared to what would happen if his little sister were to find him now… naked from the waist down, pillow resting firmly under his hips, as he tried desperately to create the right amount of friction.

He humped lazily, thinking about how Tony's lips had felt against his own and wondering what it would be like if it was Tony's little body underneath him. Laid out all pretty, letting Bucky rut against him. Bucky near moaned at that idea, imagining Tony's soft encouraging words bring him closer and closer until he was coming.

He gasped out loud, biting his pillow as he increased his thrusting into the pillow. He imagined Tony kissing him, his hot wet mouth all over him, on his cock… " _Oh, Tony_ ," he moaned, and his cock jerked against the pillow, coming in white spurts.

For a few minutes, he lay still, feeling he cock soften.

He felt guilty thinking about Tony like that… he was so young, _too_ young. It was probably against the law – no, it was definitely against the law. But he couldn't help that Tony was so sweet, and gorgeous. Everything about him was gorgeous, regardless of his age, Bucky just wanted to make him scream with pleasure.

And that kiss. Tony had kissed him, all tender and sweet, blushing red. Bucky reminded himself that it had been Tony's first kiss, and sexualising his naivety was probably all kinds of wrong – right?

A knock on his bedroom door startled him from his thoughts, and he desperately pulled his sweat pants up, tucking away his spent cock. "Just a minute," he called out, trying not to sound panicked. He grabbed the dirtied pillow and hid it under his bed.

He opened the door to his mother, who was wearing a knowing smile that sent embarrassment coursing through his body. He just hoped to hell she wasn't actually about to talk to him about the normality of masturbation, the conversation they'd had about that when he was thirteen was enough to last him a lifetime.

"Hey Buckstar, sorry to interrupt," she grinned a little too widely, and Bucky resisted the urge to facepalm, "Stevie's waiting downstairs," she continued, "he said you two are gonna go kick around – when did you start playing football again?"

"Ma, I'm not _playing football_ , I'm just having a kick around with Steve, don't get too excited. Tell him I'll be down in a minute, just need to get changed."

"Okay, okay," she smiled sympathetically, sensing she brushed on a 'touchy' issue, "oh, and Bucky, maybe it's a good idea you strip your bed yourself. Just put anything you need straight into the washing machine."

"Yes, Mum," Bucky mumbled the reply with embarrassment, closing the door between them. That was his mother's, ever so subtle, way of telling him she didn't want to touch his spunk-stained sheets.

He got changed quickly, making sure to wash his hands and stomach off with a warm towel, no need for his best friend to know what he was doing. Bucky doubted Steve ever touched himself, that kid had an unhealthy dose of good ol' Catholic fear drilled into him.

Steve was waiting for him downstairs, drinking a cup of coffee and keeping Rebecca entertained. She was busy showing him her vast collection toys, holding an Ariel doll and a Pokémon plushy. "He's a water type Steve-y, so he would be Princess Ariel's Pokémon," she claimed with a great amount of authority, "his name is Squirtle."

Steve was doing a very good job of pretending to be interested, but looked incredibly relieved to see Bucky approaching.

"Becca, c'mon now," Bucky said, lifting his little sister by the waist into his arms, he gave her a peck on the cheek and earned a sharp smack to the face. "Hey, no hitting," he protested, "what's wrong with giving my sister a kiss?"

"You should stick to smooching Tony," she teased, with a feral little grin.

Bucky laughed, sitting her up on the bench, and grabbing a coffee of his own, "I haven't been smooching Tony."

Steve scoffed, "Liar."

" _Liar!_ Liar! Liar!" Rebecca mimicked loudly, jumping off the bench.

Bucky threw Steve a dirty look, "Thanks for that."

Steve shrugged, "Well… you can't tell me you don't want to. You've been following him around for weeks."

Careful to cover Rebecca's ears with both hands first, he grinned and winked at Steve, "We kinda made out last night."

Rebecca wriggled away, quickly bored with the lack of attention, she started calling after her mother for food.

"Really? Woah, Bucky, that's… great, right? What does it mean? Are you together?"

Bucky shrugged, "I don't know, we didn't do a whole lotta talking, then afterwards he just went home. I can gather that he likes me, but I feel weird about it. He's fourteen."

"The age gap isn't that big," Steve argued weakly.

"It is when you're our age. I was a completely different person at fourteen. Being with me… it could be something he regrets when he's older. And, you know, I don't wanna make him feel pressured into something he might not be ready for."

"You mean sex?"

Bucky's face flushed red, "No, yes, maybe – I would never, he's actual jailbait!" Bucky sighed, "But what if he feels like he _has_ to, or I do something that's too sexual and freak him out. Oh god Steve, he's way too young for me."

"Bucky, if you like him, then you should date him," Steve said earnestly, "I know you, and you're not the kind of guy who would make him feel pressured into anything. And besides, have you met Tony? Nobody could make him do anything he doesn't want to do, he's not exactly the kind of person who likes being told what to do. If you made him uncomfortable, he would let you know."

"I know, but… remember Hodge, at that party? Tony just let him-"

"Stark was drunk, and scared. Hodge was looking for someone to prey on, and Tony was feeling vulnerable, you know that says nothing about him."

Bucky slumped his shoulders, thinking about Steve's words. "You're right, I know you're right. I just can't help but feel like a creep."

"I think you should talk to Tony," Steve suggested, "I'm sure he could change your mind about that."

"Yeah, I think he will."

 _I think we should talk, about that thing that happened last night. Up for late night mcdonalds? –_

It was 9.53PM when the message came in. Tony had spent the entire Saturday thinking about Bucky and their heated kiss. Bucky hadn't messaged him all day, which was not a good sign. Tony quickly decided that he couldn't be the one to message first, because that would make him look sad and desperate. But then when Bucky finally, _finally_ messaged – at 9.53PM, his words were essentially "we need to talk." What the fuck? That's what people said when they were breaking up, and Bucky and Tony weren't even together yet!

Tony pulled up his jeans carefully, trying not to make too much noise. Howard and Jarvis were home, and Tony knew his father was under the impression that he paid too much attention to his friends.

Bucky was waiting down the road, his car humming softly. Tony swallowed thickly, nervously walking towards it.

"Tony," Bucky breathed as soon as he got in the car.

Tony sighed deeply, Bucky was dressed in a light, black jumper, his hair was tied back in a ponytail but for the few strands that had fallen out and now framed his face. Yet, his face looked conflicted… and he certainly hadn't made a move on Tony yet.

"Okay, so are you going to date me or what?" Tony demanded quickly.

"What?" Bucky replied, visibly taken aback.

"Because if the answer is **no** , I would really appreciate knowing that now. Because the whole 'we need to talk' thing is ominous as fuck, and I honestly can't stand it if you're just going to sit there and tell a really long-winded reason as to why you can't date me." Tony babbled, sternly.

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, which did nothing to ease the feeling of dread in the pit of Tony's stomach. "Oh, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to make my message sound like I wasn't interested."

Tony bit back the compulsion to feel too relieved. "So… you are interested in dating me?"

"Yes. Very interested. It's just… I mean, we really do need to talk."

Tony sighed with proper, unbridled relief, "Oh, okay, good. Damn, Bucky, never text me like that again."

"Sorry."

"Wait, so I like you, you like me. What exactly is the problem here, my one-armed Casanova?"

Bucky smiled, "I just," he paused, briefly considering his words, "I feel like a creep, 'cause you're so young. And I need you to tell me I'm not being creepy."

Tony laughed, "You're not being creepy," he echoed, then, "…we should make out, now."

"You really don't think I'm creepy," Bucky asked, even as he said the words, his eyes were drawn to Tony's lips.

"No, sure we've got four years between us, but I'm obviously more mature and smarter than you are, that's why they moved me up in grades. There, you've been consoled, so, either we make out, or I'm going back to bed."

Bucky chose to feel the warmth of Tony's lips again.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony felt the cool metal hand slip around his waist, and he looked up to smile at Bucky encouragingly. It was Friday night, they were at Tony's house watching the _Underworld_ movies back to back, but Tony was more interested in what they could be doing instead. Since there glad-to-be-together make out session in Bucky's car, the older boy had become reluctant to do anything with Tony other than chaste little kisses. It was all very frustrating, and Tony was just about ready to slap him ninety per-cent of the time.

Luckily, he was turning fifteen in a short few weeks, and that would hopefully put a stop to Bucky's angst-ing about their age difference.

Remembering this, Tony grinned, leaning up to place a kiss on Bucky's jaw. "Three weeks and four days," he reminded Bucky, "you'll take my V-card then, right?"

Bucky made a noise of protest, blush spreading across cheeks, "Tony!" he choked.

Tony laughed, "Okay, okay, I'll say no more, but you can't deny that you want to." Tony paused for a moment, and a doubt quickly crept into his mind. Maybe Bucky didn't want him that way, at all.

Bucky pulled Tony into his lap, kissing his neck tenderly, "I do," he confessed in a small voice.

"Well, come on, then," Tony grinned, wiggling his ass against Bucky's crotch.

Before Bucky could reply, the pair heard a small awkward cough from the doorway. There was an older looking man, lugging two coats and a large suitcase behind him. He looked… like a butler, if Bucky wasn't mistaken. Who the hell has a butler?

There was a moment of dead silence, and Bucky felt Tony become tense in his arms.

"Young Master Stark," he choked, clearly embarrassed, in a thick British accent. "Your father and I have returned home, he's on an important business call at the moment, but will be expecting to see you shortly. I advise that you… find a more appropriate seat."

"Good call, Jarvis," Tony forced himself to laugh, climbing off Bucky's lap, "I'd shove Bucky out the window, only I assume Howard saw his car."

"You would have been most amused at his use of the word 'hooligan,'" Jarvis joked, moving on from the room, presumably to pack away his and Howard's belongings.

After he was gone, Bucky turned to Tony panic-stricken, "Your dad thinks I'm a hooligan!"

"To him, anyone under the age of thirty is a hooligan. That's how he views people, in age demographics. Or any demographics. You know he still thinks Rhodey is 'from the ghetto'? Even though they live in the same part of upper Manhattan we do," Tony sighed, "… well, _did_."

"So, he's gonna hate me?"

"Howard's an ass, he hates everyone. He tolerates my mother, and they don't even live in the same house anymore, which I guess says a lot about their relationship. You shouldn't worry what he thinks of you, Bucky."

Bucky could feel Tony's annoyance building, and quickly decided to lighten the mood. Hoping that it would stop the uneasy feeling that came with the prospect of meeting Tony's father. Bucky shoved him playfully, Tony shot him a glare. "Tony, baby, light of my life… I'm a real traditional guy, you know. I don't think I could ever marry you without your father's permission. How am I meant to get that if he doesn't like me?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "You honestly think I'd settle? I prefer men with two arms, thank you very much."

As little as a week ago, that comment would have been too much. But Bucky knew Tony, and had no doubt in his mind that Tony truly did not care about his arm, or lack thereof.

Bucky rolled his eyes, "Yeah right, I know you have a metal kink. Can't lie to me, Stark."

"Okay, so _maybe_ you can be my boy toy, but that hardly makes you marriage material," Tony threw him a grin, "you're a hooligan, remember?"

"Now you're just teasing me."

"Can't help it, I love teasing you."

Bucky brushed his hand through Tony's soft brown hair, "I wanna kiss you."

Tony gave a mischievous wink and leaned in seductively. Yet, before their lips could meet, he abruptly pulled away. "Nah-ah Bucky, no kisses for you. You gotta a decision to make – meet Howard now, and suffer through his condescending glare as he judges you in ways you can't even comprehend; or sneak away while I distract him, and safe yourself from this horrendous experience."

"And leave you all alone to face him?"

"Well he is my flesh and blood, I'm kinda bound to him on a genetic level," Tony shrugged, "I think having to talk to him is a part of the whole gig."

"Why don't you come back to my place? You know Mum won't mind, and Becca loves it when you stay the night," Bucky asked, voice thick with concern.

"I wanna hang with you too, but tomorrow, okay? What's with the concern all of a sudden? I'll be fine."

"You call you dad by his first name, I think I've earned concern rights."

Tony huffed, but didn't dispute him.

"Are you ready then?"

"Let's do this."

Looking into Howard Stark's eyes was like looking down the barrel of a gun. Bucky was struck by his eerie resemblance to Tony, not that it was surprising considering they were father and son after all, but Bucky had expected Tony to be nothing like his father. Although, while Tony looked like the spitting image of him, his demeaner was nothing like Tony's. Tony radiated charm and humour, while Howard had the aura of a brick wall.

"So, Mr Barnes, you're here awfully late." Howard remarked coldly, staring at Bucky unblinkingly.

"…erm, yeah. I mean, I was probably going to crash on the couch. Or take Tony back to my place- not that I wanted him out that late!" Bucky found himself unable to stop talking, "And I didn't mean take him back to my place, like, sex… I just meant for movies and pancakes."

" _Smooth_ ," Tony smirked beside him.

Howard frowned at Bucky, turning his attention to his son. "What was wrong with Pepper? I liked her. You needn't punish me by dating him."

Tony's face dropped, "Not dating," he insisted quickly, "we're just friends. Pepper and I are also just friends, but if you wanted us to get together so badly maybe you shouldn't have moved me to the middle of fucking nowhere."

It pained Bucky to hear Tony say that, even though he knew the boy could never admit to being with him, for many reasons, it still hurt to hear him say it.

Howard glared at him, "Don't lie to me Anthony. Your 'friend' needs to leave, and you need to be in your room finishing your homework or sleeping."

Tony bit back, "You left me alone for a week, and suddenly you come back trying to enforce a bed time!"

"You're fourteen. I am your father. do as I say." His tone was dangerously low, and Bucky saw Tony cringe at the sound of it.

He didn't say another word, just dragged Bucky out of the room and slamming the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Bucky leaned against Tony's locker, eyes watching keenly for the boy's arrival. No matter how many times Bucky texted him or called him, there had been no answer from Tony all fucking weekend. He could only hope that Howard had taken away his phone, and it wasn't because Tony simply didn't want to talk to him.

It wasn't long until he was joined by Bruce Banner. They both gave a simple nod of acknowledgment before standing together, waiting, in companionable silence. It was one of the very reasons Bucky liked Bruce so much, there were no need for words. Natasha, Clint, and Bruce had barely been a part of their friendship group longer than Tony, but Bruce was one of the easiest people Bucky had ever been able to be around.

There were issues there, hinted at, but never spoken allowed. Bucky knew that Bruce had stuff going on with his father, Bruce knew that Bucky had stuff going on with his arm; together they ignored their issues, and negated the pressure to talk.

It was Natasha who intruded on their peaceful silence. She greeted Bruce with a small hug. Bucky couldn't help but notice the way Bruce looked down at her, for a moment it was as if she were the only thing keeping him grounded to the earth; he wondered if he had the same look about him whenever Tony was around.

"Waiting for Tones?" Natasha guessed.

Bucky just nodded at her.

Bruce filled in the silence, "Haven't heard from him all weekend," he mumbled miserably.

"His dad just got back," Bucky explained, "his dad is a dick."

" _Oh_." Natasha breathed softly, he eyes studying Bruce's face for a reaction. There had been hints before at the terrible relationship Bruce had with his father. Bucky didn't know too much and he didn't want to.

There was a small spark of jealously and doubt that sparked in his mind. He wondered if having shitty dads would have them empathising with each other, and eventually… no. Initially there may have been cause for concern that Bruce would be a romantic rival, but it was so obvious that he loved Natasha.

A few minutes later, Bucky was relieved to see Tony's familiar face. He was walking alongside Jane, completely immersed in conversation with her. Bucky took a moment to appreciate how uncomplicated he looked when he was talking about… you know, science or whatever. His features were relaxed, with his hands moving around excitedly as he explained. Jane looked enraptured by his words, nodding and bouncing in her heels with the same level of excitement Tony was showing. They were probably talking about space science, or something. Thor was watching them too, looking like a confused over-sized puppy.

Tony looked up and met Bucky's eyes, a sad special little smile came across his face. When they were in distance of each other, Bucky reached out for him -metal arm and all- to tuck Tony away against his chest.

"Aw," Jane gushed, "young love."

"Shut your whore mouth, Jane," Tony mumbled, and Bucky felt the vibration in his chest.

Thor gasped, "Anthony!" he near-growled, genuine shock on his face.

"It was a joke," Natasha and Jane said in unison.

Thor's frown broke into a smile, and he laughed loudly. "Ah, I will never understand your humour."

Bucky tuned out the next few minutes of conversation, focusing on gently rubbing Tony's back. He had questions, but they could be saved for later, as long as he had the boy in his arm's, it would all be okay. Tony relaxed against him, content to simply cling on like a particularly adorable sloth.

His attention was snapped back when Steve walked over to join them. Bucky could see his sad blue eyes scanning over the sets of couples, and the loneliness set in. There was another problem- Steve needed to get a girlfriend.

 **oOoOoOo**

It wasn't until lunch time that Bucky could really talk to Tony.

Tony cuddled up to him where they lay on the grass. There was a reluctancy in his touches, Bucky wished he could just kiss away. They were both still a little awkward when things became a little _too_ intimate, but Tony especially so. One minute, the boy could be sitting in his lap, grinding and kissing, the next Tony would blush intensely over the mere idea of holding hands.

Tony's confidence dipped and curved around them, determining what was okay and when. Bucky still wasn't sure which he liked better: confident and compelling Tony, who knew exactly how to draw everyone's attention and impress them, who showed-off, kissed Bucky in public, and was happy to let the whole world no how brilliant he was. Or the Tony that suffered from crippling self-doubt, but also a sweet wide-eyed curiosity to everything around him, when he let himself be in true, unbridled awe or his work, when he accepted that he didn't know everything because everything was complex and amazing.

"Hey Buck, can I stay at yours tonight?" Tony asked quickly, voice real quiet like he didn't quite want to be heard.

"Of course, Doll," Bucky answered, placing a kiss in his hair. "Is it your dad?"

Tony shrugged, "Howard's being a prick. He took my phone, sorry I didn't text."

"Don't be sorry, I figured it was something like that."

"But I should be sorry," Tony insisted, "I can't believe I let him speak to you like that, a-and I called you… my _friend_. I didn't mean it, I just couldn't tell him-"

Bucky pulled him closer, breaking off his apology with a gentle kiss, "I know that. I know you couldn't say anything, and I don't expect that from you. Your da- Howard doesn't bother me. You know how I feel about bullies, tech geniuses or not."

Tony smiled with relief, before giving a small chuckle, "Nah, I'm the tech genius. Howard's clever, but never as clever as I'm gonna be, nobody is; I reckon' he hates that."

Bucky smiled, recognising the arrogant side of Tony coming out. "Oh yeah? I dunno Tony, Bruce Banner seems pretty clever to me…"

Tony hit him playfully, "You take that back!"

"Did I say cleverer than you? I would never say anything like that, my doll."

"You dork," Tony laughed.

"You're such a rude little boy!" Bucky gasped in mock-horror.

Tony winked, swiping his tongue across his lower lip, "Rude? That's one word for it."

"Damn that was hot," Bucky breathed.

Tony pouted, "Are you being sarcastic?"

"No fucking way," Bucky growled, moving forward to catch Tony's lush lips. He kissed him deeply, enjoying the hot wet slide of their tongues. Tony was being playful, running his hands up and down Bucky's arms, sighing oh-so-prettily.

When Bucky eventually pulled back, he looked down appreciate at Tony's flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

"Tonight, I'm sleeping on the couch," he decided out loud.

"Woah, you really don't think you could keep it in your pants? That's just sad, Buck."

Bucky grinned, kissing Tony's cheek. He was content to cuddle in the grass, away from prying eyes for the rest of the afternoon. No talking, just touching, and listening to the sound of each other breathing.

"By the way, I was gonna ask…" Tony piped up, "Steve looked sad today?"

"Oh yeah, he's just cause a case of being permanently single."

"Really? But he's so good-looking?" Tony mocked a dreamy voice, pretending to look wistful.

" _Tony_."

Tony laughed, "Sorry, Buckaroo. I mean it though. It hardly makes sense for Steve to be single."

Bucky nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I kinda figured out why."

"Do tell."

"Steve is too good. I mean, he's like some paragon figure, ridiculously good. He's got a strong sense of right and wrong, and never hesitates to do what's right. Sometimes he's a little too black and white about things for my taste, but that doesn't stop him being admirable. I think it scares people off, he's way too intense. And whenever he does have a girl's attention, he's so _awkward_. So, not that many people pursue a relationship with him, and he finds it impossible to even talk to them."

Tony nodded, eyes thoughtful, "Hmm, so what you're really saying is he needs to be set up."

"Huh?"

"I bet Nat knows someone…"

"No, Tony he'll kill us."

Tony was practically wriggling with excitement, "It can be subtle! We'll do a group thing, and invite one extra. Then say, one or two or six of our friends can't make it, and it ends up being a double date… where's my date, by the way?"

"What? I- I uh… we've been on dates."

"When?"

"The party…"

"Bucky, no." Tony huffed, crossing his arms.

"I brought you McDonald's…"

"I thought you were gonna break up with me!"

"Last Friday, we did the movie thing at your house. And we've done video games at my house."

"Okay, maybe, just maybe, Friday night counts. But anything before we were dating does not count, and I want to make out with you in the back of a movie theatre!"

"Yes, okay, real dates I promise. No making out if Steve is there, though."

"Oh right, Steve. Lost my train of thought. Yes, we are totally gonna set him up. This is so fun."


End file.
